Sadly stories of sexual harassment and abuse are far too common and this weekend it was the game industry that was thrust into the spotlight. After a handful of accounts from female Twitch streamers speaking out about sexual harassment started circulating, other women were given the courage to come forward.
It’s no secret that all industries have their predators but the gaming industry has another problem that makes everything worse, the sexist macho culture based around gaming itself. While it’s horrifying enough that there are a large number of abusers still working in the industry, what’s worse is that for abuse survivors even just playing an online game can become a reminder of what they faced. I’m talking here about rape “jokes.” The culture of making distasteful comments about the criminal act of rape has been trivializing the matter for as long as I can remember and it’s about time it stopped.
Sexually Aggressive Jokes And Fragile Masculinity
Women who play games, either as a career or just for fun, will most likely have encountered some form of unwanted sexual comment at least once. This ranges from the digital equivalent of wolf-whistling to being asked for sexual favors, being threatened with rape, and even being subjected to repeated harassment and abuse.
While not all gamers are guilty of this behavior, women experience online sexual harassment far too often and if we dare to suggest it’s not appropriate we get shot down for being “unable to take a joke.”
There is a huge sexist culture in gaming and far too many men seemingly can’t cope with being beaten in a game by a woman. It’s this attitude that gives these increasingly sexually aggressive “jokes” a sinister edge. Certain types of male gamers with fragile egos anger quickly if they discover they’ve been bested by a woman. Their fragile masculinity can’t take it and making these sexual comments seems to give them back a feeling of control. They likely want to feel dominant, just like the abusers who commit sexual crimes in real life. No thoughts are given to the effect of these words but they should be.
The Difference Between A Joke And A Flashback
The worst aspect of sexual comments for me personally is rape “jokes”. I can take a joke and I don’t mind sexual jokes but rape is never a joke, it’s a crime and one that affects many women’s lives. Comments about rape are not only unfunny but they are all to often delivered in a tone with a sinister or threatening edge and can be very intimidating as well as triggering to those who have experienced rape or sexual abuse in particular.
Sadly, men asking women online to perform sexual acts, making sexually aggressive comments, and throwing around the word rape as if it’s nothing has become far too common. It has created a culture where this behavior is seen as acceptable. If rape is seen as a joke how can we stop it happening?
Far too many women are subject to sexual abuse or harassment in their lives and these online comments can not only be triggering but they make us feel unsafe in a place where we just want to have fun.
Think Before You Speak
Public channels, both text, and voice are full of not people who think these comments are funny but of many who don’t including abuse survivors, rape survivors, people experiencing ongoing harassment or abuse right now, and those who just want an escape from aggression and toxicity. These people are not just women but also men and even children and I can guarantee that for everyone who laughs at your “joke” many more won’t be impressed.
For many people, gaming is a safe space. It’s a place they turn to in order to forget the troubles of life. Some gamers may want to take out their anger on a cartoon avatar by shooting it in the face but that doesn’t give them the right to channel that anger at actual people. There’s a huge difference between swearing at a screen and swearing at a person.
Before you shout your mouth off on a public channel, making sexual comments, dismissing rape, or unloading your anger at the person on the other side of the screen take a moment to remember that they are people. All gamers deserve to be treated with respect, no matter their age, race, gender, sexuality, or anything else that gives rise to unacceptable comments. Also, women can be good at games, get the hell over it already.
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